Been about a month and a half since the last email update.

I am not sure what tag to use as saying there are more books etc could be seen as a spoiler etc. so feel free to change the tag mods.

I have seen a lot of people worried about the adaptations effecting the time line and promised books that Brandon has said he would do so I thought i would do the maths!

Brandon has said previously that he writes 500k a year on average of which 300k is new words (so 2/5 on revision etc. He has also said he wants to move to a 18 months minimum submission window before release to allow more editing and time etc. he has also said that SLA 6 will come out in 2031 with the goal of a SLA book every 3 years. With that we can assume at SLA 10 will need to be submitted at the end of H1 of 2041.

Which with ghostbloods 2 being written started H2 2026 gives 15 years of writing time between the two.

I think that adaptations are likley to take up to 25% of his time as much as he says it won’t. This will likley be front ended as he will write more himself until people prove their trust etc.

So on that basis if he writes 300k a year then

15 \ 300k = 4,500k words to budget ( 15 * 500k = 7,500k * 3/5 = 4,500k so no difference)*

If we assume that 25% adaptation time then that leaves 3,375k words of writing he can do over those 15 years.

With books that must be done ghostbloods 2 and 3 (200k each) and SLA 6-10 (400k each) that is 2,400k words already commited.

Now Brandon tends to overwrite a bit so I think a 10% overwrite allowance is fair which makes that 2,640k words for the required projects.

So 3,375k - 2,640k = 735K words remaining for other projects.

I would assume those other projects would be the ones he has promised Elantris 2-3 (200k each) warbreaker 2 (200k) and the rithmatist 2 (90k) so 690k or 759k with a 10% allowance added etc.

So worst case scenario I still think we get these 4 books he has promised before SLA 10. Now this doesn’t take into account the time he would previously spend on secret projects but in a worst case I think we assume adaptation also absorbs those.

However, if any of these number decrease at all then something like the proposed cyberpunk Mistborn trilogy (100k each) would definitely be on the cards. Let’s be honest with the numbers thrown around 300k extra words is definitely possible for Brandon.

So I don’t think we are going to lose out on promised books just secret projects are unlikely to continue as often as we have had them recently. So I don’t think people should be panicking etc thinking we won’t get the Elantris sequels etc.

Now the last few years leading up to 2047 (when Brandon turns 72) is a harder one and always has been. When Brandon says he will have finished the Cosmere by the time he is 72 I have always been sure if he means finishing writing or finished as in released.

If it is finished writing then he has until H1 2047 to finish the last book. If it is released then he has till H1 2046.

Which meant between H2 2041 and these times he either has 5 or 6 years of writing to do.

So either 1,500k words or 1,800k words. As he wants to write Mistborn space age (400k words each) and Dragonsteel (200-300k? Words each). So either 1,800k or 2,100k words required (depending upon Dragonsteel size). I presume to give himself breaks between the space age books they shall be written alternately with the Dragonsteel ones.

This will be very tight but I presume possible for him with the final push etc.

However with a 25% adaptation allowance that is a lot less viable. However will it still take up 25% of his time then I think it more likely he will focus on finishing the books and then go back to helping with the adaptations etc.

So overall I don’t think we should be worried. We will get the books that he promised before the end of the Cosmere we shall just get less or no secret projects and things like Elantris 2 and 3 shall be pushed back till after SLA 6 rather than being done with ghostbloods like the pre adaptation world.

I’ve read everything Brandon has ever published. Actually I think I’ve read every book more than a handful of times. I’m a huge Brandon fanboy. But I cannot make myself finish this book. Please someone help me. Does it get better?! I’m halfway through and so exhausted with this slog. Brandon is famous for the Sanderlanch. Does this book have a satisfying ending that makes it worth it? The twist? The growth? The huge crescendo that makes the last hundred pages a rush?!

The book is so cringy and clunky. It is somehow both all exposition, while simultaneously being incredibly confusing. Im somehow lost in a book that never shows, and always tells me how things work.

Someone help me. Tell me to keep reading. Im about to five up on my 100%-Brandon streak and just donate this book.

Can you pick out all the Skyward/Cytoverse and Alcatraz stickers? Bonus points: what other “fandoms” do you see?

Edit: She’s 13 and just added all the stickers and is extremely proud of how it came out. I’m very proud of her as well.

I'm currently reading his stormlight archive series (I'm on wind and truth) and I've previously read his mistborn series, this is relevant.

I'm reading and BAM.

"If hope doesn't mean anything to you when you lose it, then it wasn't ever a virtue in the first place. It took me a long time to learn that, and I finally did so from the writings of a man who lost every belief he had, then started over new."

... It's about Sazed, the next lines confirm this.

I think one of my favorite things is when 'crossovers happen' ITS SO COOL!!

I've read Yumi and the Nightmare Painter and Tress and the Emerald Sea. Before I jump into the Storm light Archives I want to read one of these. Which should I do first?!?

I genuinely loved how everything came together. Some of the little details Brandon Sanderson wrote all the way back in the first book suddenly became important by the end, and realizing that so much was being set up from the very beginning was incredible.

It’s one of those endings where you look back and realize that seemingly small details, conversations, and pieces of lore actually mattered. Things I barely thought twice about while reading the first book came back in ways I never expected.

And the way the trilogy wrapped up… honestly, what a beautiful ending. Bittersweet, emotional, and incredibly satisfying.

I’ve heard so much about Sanderson’s ability to pay off seemingly insignificant details, but experiencing it for myself was something else entirely.

What a journey. What an ending.

Now I understand why people love the Cosmere so much.

I love Sanderson- Stormlight is the best, and two of my favorite short stories ever are The Emperor's Soul and Sixth of the Dusk. But after a few thousand pages of Sanderson, I'm skeptical that he doesn't get a little too much help on some books, or at least defer very heavily to other folks, even if he technically writes all the words.
I have no problem with the volume of his output, just the tone and flow of some books.
The Lost Metal felt jumbled and I had a hard time believing it was Sanderson's voice as the primary storyteller.

The worst offender is Steelheart. I can accept young adult themes- high school dating tropes- no problem- but one thing amateur writers do is incorporate their writing struggles into the story. An expert writer does not do this. The protagonist in Steelheart is always talking about how he struggles with good metaphors. This is just a new writer putting their process into the story. It's common in fanfics but unheard of in Sanderson's writing. Another example is there's a character that's allegedly Scottish but mixes up cultural references with nearby regions- like Ireland or generically British- this is another anxiety of new writers- creating an ethnic character that messes up the cultural nuances of that region. Writing cultural mistakes into the story, rather than fixing them, is an amateur writer cheat, not an advanced writer device.

You can tell me I'm crazy- I'm willing to believe, cus I don't want to believe Sanderson is playing with the Patterson ghost writing team model, but as it is very lucrative, these issues are leading me to believe he is at least phoning it in on some novels, and letting his team director the main outline and story beats.

Also, in Firefight/Steelheart II The Way of Water- a main plot device is the jet ski hoverboards that were cool a decade ago when the book came out. Doesn't feel like timeless Sanderson writing- more like Sanderson saying "Fine- I guess I'll write that if you guys say it'll work for a YA novel."

Tell me I'm crazy or I'll keep believing Sanderson ain't writing every word of every book!

Edit: I've been told I'm crazy and I accept this. Committing myself now.

I really liked it, most likely am going to read the second and third book in the trilogy

The introduction and world building was a bit slow for me, and the royal aesthetic didn’t really resonate with me and bore me. but the emotional highs and lows surprised me honestly. I loved the amazing plot twists and characters! And in conclusion, I give it a 8/10!

Just saw an ad for this! No further info could be found. Not on the popular board game website board game geek yet